The International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted former Central African Republic rebel commander Mahamat Said Abdel Kani of four counts of crimes against humanity, including torture and unlawful imprisonment.

Said, 56, was found guilty of offences committed while he headed the Central Office for the Repression of Banditry detention centre in Bangui during the country’s civil conflict in 2013.

Presiding Judge Miatta Maria Samba said the evidence showed that detainees were subjected to beatings and other forms of mistreatment at the facility.

The court also found Said guilty of persecution and other inhumane acts. He was acquitted of three counts of war crimes after judges determined that the armed conflict had ended when some of the alleged offences occurred.

Said, who had pleaded not guilty to all charges, was a senior commander of the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebel group, which seized power in 2013 after overthrowing then-President Francois Bozize.

The takeover triggered a wider conflict involving the mainly Christian and animist anti-Balaka militias.

The ICC said some detainees at the Bangui facility were held in overcrowded cells and subjected to severe conditions, including beatings, deprivation of food and water, and torture. A separate cell beneath Said’s office was reportedly used to hold detainees in particularly harsh conditions.

The court will determine Said’s sentence at a later date. He faces a possible sentence of up to life imprisonment.

Said is the first former Seleka member to be convicted by the ICC in connection with the Central African Republic conflict. The court previously convicted anti-Balaka leaders Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona in 2025.